After losing to New Zealand in the final of the World Test Championships, selecting the right team for the first Test against England at Trent Bridge in Nottingham will begin on Wednesday. After the defeat against New Zealand, India had requested England for a warm-up match and this practice match was accepted by them. However, regular skipper Virat Kohli and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane could not play in this practice match as they were not fully fit. Lack of practice before the first Test can haunt the team’s top batsmen.

Indian opener Mayank Agarwal is shocked to have hit the ball in his helmet and is out of the first Test. After Mayank Outa, there is every chance of getting a chance at the Lokesh Rahul playing XI. In a warm-up match at Chester Lee Street, Lokesh Rahul (101) made a strong claim to a place in the First Cricket Test by scoring a spectacular century on the first day of the County Select XI.

India vs England: When, Where and How to Watch Live Streaming and Live Telecast of the First Test Match

The team may think of giving Rahul a start and he could go with Rohit Sharma. Rahul may be challenged by young opener Prithvi Shah in this regard. Prithvi has been inducted into the Test squad directly from Sri Lanka. Cheteshwar Pujara did not appear in full color during the World Championship final and practice match, which is a matter of little concern to India. Virat drops to his usual number four. Vice-captain Rahane Virat is second, while young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is dropped to sixth place. In this first game, it will be interesting to see if the team management will allow their spinners, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, or both.

IND vs ENG: VVS Laxman selected India’s playing XI for the first Test against England, this player is not included

While both are fielding spinners, India can go with three fast bowlers. Ishant Sharma, Jaspreet Bumrah and Mohammad Shami will compete for these three seats. When it comes to feeding the spinner, India can go with the fourth fast bowler. Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Siraj and Shardul Thakur can compete for the fourth fast bowler. The big challenge ahead for the Indian team is to balance the bowling attack. Earlier this year, India won the Test series 3–1 against England, while India lost their 5–4 series against England in 2018, 1-4.

England’s potential playing XI against England: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jaspreet Bumrah.